Black Elder Lesbians Responding to COVID-19 Pandemic; Gay Direct Action Irish Organizer Felled by COVID-19; & WBAI Fightback

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Published: 14 April 2020

Out-FM Full Show posted

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Tune into Out-FM on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 9:00pm on WBAI/NY and wbai.org

Dr. Wilhelmina Perry, Mary Anne Adams and Stahimili Mapp will interrogate the demographic data - and health inequities inclusive of race, gender and class.  Health and wellbeing, economic security and social connections are  among the cornerstones for successful aging, yet these are areas in which many LGBT elders face substantial barriers stemming from social sigma and isolation.

In addition  the call for seniors to sacrifice their lives for the good of the economy and claiming that gays are responsible for the virus as God is punishing the nation for our existence is to addressed. To bridge some of these concerns, inter- generational responses of support for the needs of elder Black LGBT, Queers, from younger queer activists/organizers will be covered.

To participate in our 9pm after-show Zoom discussion of the COVID-19 crisis in the Black Lesbian community tonight, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Battling Two Coups at WBAI

WBAI's been battling two coups by a rogue group in Pacifica that for several months seized power at Pacifica and then turned WBAI into a repeater channel that had next to no local programing. First they stormed the station and fired all 200 producers and staff, then when defeated in court, they implemented a plan B, to sue Pacifica to force it to hold another expensive election, (in the midst of one) to remove most of the democratic measures in the by-laws. We'll discuss the victory of local forces. Tonight Out-FM hosts will discuss the battle against the regressive by-law proposal and their role in defeating it. Naomi Brussel, Stahimili Mapp, Bob Lederer and John Riley will draw the lessons learned and tasks that remain.

Gay Irish New Yorker & Direct Action Organizer​ Tarlach MacNiallais Killed by COVID-19

In the final segment, longtime Irish American gay organizer Brendan Fay, cofounder of the St. Pat's for All parade in Queens, will remember his comrade Tarlach MacNiallais, a proud gay Irish Republican activist born in Belfast and then moving to New York, where he spent years supporting the struggle of Irish Queers against exclusion from the St. Patrick's Day parade -- including committing civil disobedience. He was also a staunch internationalist and anti-imperialist. Tarlach died April 3 of complications from COVID-19.

Impact of COVID-19 on Poor Workers and People with AIDS

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Published: 24 March 2020

JoAnne Lum, Nat. Mob. Against Sweatshops

JoAnne Lum National Mobalization Against Sweatshops discussed the impact of COVID-19 on poor and precarious workers.

Jerimaih Johnson discusses the COVID-19 impact from an AIDS activist perspective.

If the worse case scenario of  70-150 million people are infected we can expect 2 million deaths to 5 million deaths.

In an article in the Journal Nature, “Neither the United States nor the United Kingdom has said why it has not been following the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO), which is to aggressively test, track and isolate as many cases of COVID-19 as possible.” It goes on to say, “Aggressive testing of cases, and quarantining of their contacts, is still not a declared policy priority for the United States, where efforts are being hampered by the shortage of COVID-19 diagnostic tests and the absence of a unified public health system.”

Joining us to discuss this issue is Jeremiah Johnson of the Treatment Action Group, an AIDS advocacy and treatment organization which spun off from the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP for short.

ACT UP in coalition with other AIDS organizations forced the US Government to fund research and treatment for AIDS at a time when there were no good treatments and many were dying of neglect and being refused housing and medical aid. Jeremiah has also been a member of ACT UP/NY